pressure group

noun

: an interest group organized to influence public and especially government policy but not to elect candidates to office

Examples of pressure group in a Sentence

a pressure group trying to reduce taxes observed that if publishers gave in to every pressure group, nothing would ever get published
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In reality, revenue generated by these taxes disappears into the black hole of the general budget and goes to whatever pressure group has the most influence at city hall. Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 23 Feb. 2024 The ambivalence was best reflected in, of all places, the response of the National Legion of Decency, the powerful Roman Catholic pressure group that had kept Hollywood in line since 1934. Thomas Doherty, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019 Lear produced many more shows; ran a liberal pressure group, People for the American Way; and, admirably, owned and exhibited an early printing of the Declaration of Independence. Christian Schneider, National Review, 21 Dec. 2023 After months of discussion and debate among politicians, pundits, and pressure groups worldwide, a group of legislators was finally taking regulatory steps to address the potential dangers of artificial intelligence. Ned Temko, The Christian Science Monitor, 14 Dec. 2023 See all Example Sentences for pressure group 

Word History

First Known Use

1924, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of pressure group was in 1924

Dictionary Entries Near pressure group

Cite this Entry

“Pressure group.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pressure%20group. Accessed 25 Dec. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on pressure group

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!